Tracking support apparatus, terminal, tracking support system, tracking support method and program

Abstract

A tracking support system includes a position calculating section connected with a plurality of cameras arranged in a predetermined monitoring area to transmit video images imaged by the plurality of cameras and configured to calculate a position of the tracking target based on the video images received from the plurality of cameras; a tracker selecting section configured to select a tracker to be instructed to track the tracking target, based on position information of the terminal received from the terminal and the calculated position of the tracking target; and an information transmitting section configured to transmit information of a distance between the tracking target and the terminal during the tracking of the tracking target to the terminal carried by the selected tracker.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A tracking support apparatus comprising:
 a receiver configured to:
 receive position information of a plurality of terminals, each one of the plurality of terminals being carried by a tracker; 
 receive confirmation information from a terminal of a current tracker instructed to track a tracking target, the confirmation information comprising position information where the current tracker confirms the tracking target; and 
 receive a takeover notification that a current tracker requests takeover of tracking of a tracking target to a new tracker; 
 
 a tracker selecting section configured to select a takeover tracker instructed to track the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the position information where the current tracker confirms the tracking target in the last confirmation information; and 
 an information transmitting section configured to transmit information of a distance between the tracking target and the terminal during tracking of the tracking target to the terminal of the selected tracker, 
 wherein the receiver is configured to receive, from the terminal of the current tracker, a notification of a monitoring failure, independently from the notification of the takeover notification, 
 wherein the tracker selecting section is configured to select a search tracker instructed to search the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the position information where the current tracker confirms the tracking target in the last confirmation information, and 
 wherein the information transmitting section is configured to transmit a search request to search the tracking target to a search terminal of the search tracker. 
 
     
     
       2. The tracking support apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive, from the search terminal, a discovery notification including the position information of the tracking target, and
 wherein the information transmission section is further configured to transmit the position information of the tracking target in the discovery notification to the terminal of the tracker when the discovery notification is received. 
 
     
     
       3. The tracking support apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the discovery information includes feature information of the tracking target. 
     
     
       4. The tracking support apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the tracker selecting section is configured to select a takeover tracker instructed to track the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the position information of the tracking target, when the discovery information is received and a position relation between the current tracker and a target position is determined to be not appropriate, the target position being indicated by the position information of the tracking target included in the discovery notification. 
     
     
       5. The tracking support apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a position calculating section configured to calculate a position of the tracking target using video images received from a plurality of cameras, the position calculating section being connected with the plurality of cameras arranged in a predetermined monitoring area to transmit video images taken by the plurality of cameras,
 wherein the tracker selecting section is configured to select the current tracker instructed to track the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the calculated position of the tracking target. 
 
     
     
       6. A tracking support method by a tracking support apparatus, the method comprising:
 receiving position information of a plurality of terminals, each one of the plurality of terminals being carried by a tracker; 
 receiving confirmation information from a terminal of a current tracker instructed to track a tracking target, the confirmation information comprising position information where the current tracker confirms the tracking target; 
 receiving a takeover notification that a current tracker requests takeover of tracking of a tracking target to a new tracker; 
 selecting a takeover tracker instructed to track the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the position information where the current tracker confirms the tracking target in the last confirmation information; 
 transmitting information of a distance between the tracking target and the terminal during tracking of the tracking target to the terminal of the selected tracker; 
 receiving, from the terminal of the current tracker, a notification of a monitoring failure, independently from the notification of the takeover notification; 
 selecting a search tracker instructed to search the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the position information where the current tracker confirms the tracking target in the last confirmation; and 
 transmitting a search request to search the tracking target to a search terminal of the search tracker. 
 
     
     
       7. The tracking support method according to  claim 6 , the method further comprising:
 receiving, from the search terminal, a discovery notification including the position information of the tracking target; and 
 transmitting the position information of the tracking target in the discovery notification to the terminal of the tracker when the discovery notification is received. 
 
     
     
       8. The tracking support method according to  claim 6 , wherein the discovery information includes feature information of the tracking target. 
     
     
       9. The tracking support method according to  claim 6 , the method further comprising selecting a takeover tracker instructed to track the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the position information of the tracking target, when the discovery information is received and a position relation between the current tracker and a target position is determined to be not appropriate, the target position being indicated by the position information of the tracking target included in the discovery notification. 
     
     
       10. The tracking support method according to  claim 6 , the method further comprising:
 calculating a position of the tracking target using video images received from a plurality of cameras, the position calculating section being connected with the plurality of cameras arranged in a predetermined monitoring area to transmit video images taken by the plurality of cameras; and 
 selecting the current tracker instructed to track the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the calculated position of the tracking target. 
 
     
     
       11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute processing comprising:
 receiving position information of a plurality of terminals, each one of the plurality of terminals being carried by a tracker; 
 receiving confirmation information from a terminal of a current tracker instructed to track the tracking target, the confirmation information includes position information where the current tracker confirms the tracking target; 
 receiving a takeover notification that a current tracker requests takeover of tracking of a tracking target to a new tracker; 
 selecting a takeover tracker instructed to track the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the position information where the current tracker confirms the tracking target in the last confirmation information; 
 transmitting information of a distance between the tracking target and the terminal during tracking of the tracking target to the terminal of the selected tracker; 
 receiving, from the terminal of the current tracker, a notification of a monitoring failure, independently from the notification of the takeover notification; 
 selecting a search tracker instructed to search the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the position information where the current tracker confirms the tracking target in the last confirmation; and 
 transmitting a search request to search the tracking target to a search terminal of the search tracker. 
 
     
     
       12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 11 , storing the program causing the computer to execute processing comprising
 receiving, from the search terminal, a discovery notification including the position information of the tracking target; and 
 transmitting the position information of the tracking target in the discovery notification to the terminal of the tracker when the discovery notification is received. 
 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 11 , wherein the discovery information includes feature information of the tracking target. 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 11 , storing the program causing the computer to execute processing comprising selecting a takeover tracker instructed to track the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the position information of the tracking target, when the discovery information is received and a position relation between the current tracker and a target position is determined to be not appropriate, the target position being indicated by the position information of the tracking target included in the discovery notification. 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 11 , storing the program causing the computer to execute processing comprising:
 calculating a position of the tracking target using video images received from a plurality of cameras, the position calculating section being connected with the plurality of cameras arranged in a predetermined monitoring area to transmit video images taken by the plurality of cameras; and 
 selecting the current tracker instructed to track the tracking target, using the position information of the plurality of terminals and the calculated position of the tracking target.